Roulette is about guessing which pocket (number) the little white ball will land in once it is spun around the wheel. The table carries a layout of the numbers, and you put chips on the number or group of numbers you think will come up.
The only choices are where to bet and how much. There are no decisions to make once the ball is spinning: a single number pays a lot, while a wide bet such as red or black wins more often and pays less. That is the whole game.
European and American wheels
There are two main kinds of wheel, and you can pick either at this site's table. The only difference is how many green pockets there are, but that is exactly what sets the casino's edge.
The numbers on the layout (European). On an American layout the zero box is split into 0 and 00.
Half of the numbers from 1 to 36 are red and half are black. On the layout they run in twelve columns of three. Around the wheel the order is completely different: the numbers are scattered so that red and black alternate.
How a spin plays out
Bets: put chips on the layout. Besides the numbers themselves, you can bet on the lines between them and on the points where lines meet.
The spin: the dealer spins the wheel and launches the ball the other way. You can keep betting for a while as the ball circles.
No more bets: as the ball slows down, the dealer calls "no more bets". From then on nobody may place or move chips.
The result: the pocket the ball settles in is the winning number. The dealer marks it on the layout with a marker called the dolly.
Settling: losing chips are swept away first, then the winning bets are paid. Once the dolly is lifted, betting opens for the next spin.
Inside bets
These go on the numbers in the middle of the layout. The fewer numbers you cover, the more the bet pays.
Bet
Pays
Chance to win (European)
Straight upOn one number (0 and 00 too)
35 to 1
2.70%
SplitOn the line between two numbers
17 to 1
5.41%
StreetAt the end of a row of three numbers
11 to 1
8.11%
CornerWhere four numbers meet
8 to 1
10.81%
First fourThe corner of 0, 1, 2 and 3 (European)
8 to 1
10.81%
Top lineThe corner of 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 (American)
6 to 1
—
Six lineAt the end, between two streets (six numbers)
5 to 1
16.22%
"35 to 1" means you win 35 times your stake and keep the stake as well. A $10 straight-up winner brings back $350 in winnings plus your $10.
Outside bets
These go in the boxes around the numbers. Zero (and double zero) belongs to none of them, so every outside bet loses when the ball lands on green.
Bet
Pays
Chance to win (European)
Dozen1–12, 13–24 or 25–36
2 to 1
32.43%
ColumnOne column of twelve (the "2 to 1" boxes)
2 to 1
32.43%
Red / blackThe 18 red or the 18 black numbers
1 to 1
48.65%
Odd / evenThe 18 odd or the 18 even numbers
1 to 1
48.65%
Low / high1–18 or 19–36
1 to 1
48.65%
Red/black, odd/even and low/high pay even money, so they are often called the even-money bets.
Payouts and the house edge
A straight-up bet paying 35 to 1 returns 36 times the stake when it wins. If the wheel had only the 36 numbers, that would be a perfectly fair price. The zero (and double zero) is where the casino's advantage comes from.
The same holds for nearly every bet: on a European wheel the house edge is 2.70% (one in 37) wherever you bet, and on an American wheel it is 5.26% (two in 38). The one exception is the American top line, which pays 6 to 1 for five numbers and carries a much worse 7.89%.
Rules that differ between casinos
La partage
A French rule: when zero comes up, even-money bets lose only half. That cuts their house edge to 1.35%.
En prison
Another zero rule: even-money bets are "imprisoned" instead of lost, and come back if they win on the next spin.
Triple zero
Wheels with 0, 00 and 000, even better for the house. A few Las Vegas casinos use them.
Wheel chips
American casinos often give each player chips of their own colour, so the dealer can tell whose chips are whose when several people bet on the same number.
This site's table plays the standard rules, without la partage or en prison.
Table limits
At this site's table every bet, from straight up to the outside bets, takes $5 to $100 per spot. You may bet on as many spots as you like on the same spin.
In real casinos the minimum is often counted differently: inside bets may need a minimum in total, while each outside bet needs the minimum on its own. Check the sign on the table before you sit down.
Table etiquette
After "no more bets", do not place or move chips.
While the dolly is on the layout, leave even your own chips alone until the dealer has finished paying and lifts it.
Let the dealer push your winnings to you; do not take them off the layout yourself.
When you leave, colour your wheel chips up for ordinary chips: wheel chips only work at that table.